Design nearly complete, council selects attorney for $2.2M bond

Hartselle officials are moving forward with a $2.2 million replacement of its city pool.

Demolition is underway of the existing structure while GBW Architects in Decatur is finishing the design of the new structure, according to Mayor Dwight Tankersley.

“We’ve had several meetings with the architect,” Tankersley said. “I think we’ve answered about all of his questions. The design of the pool is nearly complete.”

Tankersley said the city has already received preliminary drawings, which will have a 25-meter competition pool with a diving well along with play pool featuring items similar to a splash pad. He still believes it will be one large pool instead of two pools with separate filtering systems.

Tankersley also urged the council to go ahead and hire a bond attorney at its work session Monday night. On Tuesday night, the council unanimously agreed to hire Joe Jolley & Co., which helped the city finance its last bond to help fund the new high school.

“Joe Jolley did an excellent job with our bond issue for the new school,” Tankersley said. “Because we need to get this bond issue complete before the end of the year. He’s already familiar with the city’s finances and it will make it easier on us with the new financial software, which is going live this week.”

The council also passed a revision of the zoning ordinance, which will now allow up to five unrelated persons to live in a single-family dwelling zoned R-1. This move was in response to a threat of litigation from lawyers representing the Volunteers of America and the five residents who wanted to move into a VOA-owned home on Mason Drive.

The previous ordinance allowed up to four unrelated people to live in a home.

City Planner Jeremy Griffith said the other changes to the ordinance were mainly “housekeeping items.”

In other business, the council:

• awarded the bid of $676,200 from Nextran Truck Center for three new garbage trucks.
• allowed Tankersley to sign the FAA Airport Improvement pre-application that if awarded would give the airport $233,254.69 to work on safety zone grading along the airport runway.
• approved a permit for the Veterans Day Parade.
• granted more than $200 in sales tax refunds.
• authorized Tankersley and City Clerk/Controller Rita Lee to grant sales tax refunds up to $5,000 without council approval.
• approved combining several bank accounts into the general fund bank account. Tankersley said the city would still maintain those funds through the city’s new financial software.
• approved $2,702.43 in unemployment compensation for three former city employees who were laid off from jobs after leaving jobs with the city.